A Sneak Peek at ServiceNow's Xanadu Release

Xanadu Release is coming

On August 1st, the eagerly awaited early availability of ServiceNow’s next release, Xanadu, arrived. And with it, developers and administrators from all around the world got together at TechNow: Explore Xanadu, eager to preview the new features and enhancements this ServiceNow upgrade has to offer before its general availability, scheduled for the end of Q3.

The excitement was palpable as the ServiceNow community came together to explore this new release. Alongside the enthusiasm, there was also a sense of anxiety as many questions arose about when we would be able to try these new features on our personal development instances.

Still, this event managed to satisfy our curiosity as the outstanding team of Developer Advocates from ServiceNow presented the key changes and exciting developer features of Xanadu. 

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A special edition of TechNow

This edition of TechNow was unique and filled with emotions, as it was the last one to be hosted by Chuck Tomasi, Senior Developer Advocate at ServiceNow, who announced his retirement a few weeks ago. 

Chuck has been a cornerstone of the ServiceNow community, known for his technical excellence, engaging presentations, and genuine passion for helping others. He made complex concepts accessible and fostered a supportive community.

 His retirement marks the end of an era, and he will be profoundly missed. Chuck's legacy will continue to inspire and influence the community, but his presence, enthusiasm, and invaluable contributions will be irreplaceable. 

During the event, attendees flooded the live chat with hundreds of messages of support and farewell to Chuck. The good news is that even with Chuck's departure, the community will continue to be well-supported by the outstanding professionals on the Developer Advocate Team.

Let's get back to Xanadu release! So, what 's new for devs?

AI

With this release, ServiceNow continues to fully invest in AI capabilities to streamline work within organizations. While many companies are still contemplating how to implement such solutions in their operations, ServiceNow has not only succeeded in implementing them but has done so admirably. They have placed this technology in areas where it truly makes sense and adds immense value.

The new ServiceNow Studio

The new ServiceNow Studio in the Xanadu release features a revamped interface that closely resembles the intuitive and user-friendly Creator Studio, making it even easier to navigate. This modern interface is designed to enhance the developer experience by providing a more streamlined and efficient workflow. One of the standout additions is the powerful new search feature, which allows users to search for code, files, and tables all from one place, significantly reducing the time spent looking for specific elements.

This comprehensive search capability ensures that developers can quickly locate and access the resources they need. Additionally, the Studio includes several unimaginable features that push the boundaries of what developers can achieve, further cementing ServiceNow’s commitment to innovation and usability.

SDK V2 and Visual Studio IDE

Attendees were very excited about this update. Basically, Visual Studio was integrated into ServiceNow, allowing developers to leverage the powerful features of Visual Studio IDE directly within the ServiceNow environment.

This integration facilitates efficient code editing, real-time collaboration, and seamless deployment to ServiceNow instances, significantly enhancing the development workflow.

The combination of Visual Studio's advanced capabilities with ServiceNow's robust platform promises to streamline the development process and boost productivity for developers.

Analytics Generation

I already mentioned that ServiceNow is doing the unimaginable with AI. Xanadu will allow us to create Data Visualizations from written commands through Now Assist. Yes… exactly that: natural language being turned into interactive analytics visualization through a conversational interface.

All you need to do is to open Now Assist, prompt it to create a chart, and it will respond by giving you options such as bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and more. You can then select the type of visualization you need, and Now Assist will generate it based on your specified data parameters.

This feature significantly streamlines the process of creating insightful data visualizations, making it more accessible and efficient for users at all levels.

App Generation

Guess what? We will be able to create full apps by simply prompting Now Assist. Mind-blowing!

As Jeremy, one of the guests mentioned at the event, he has seen developers of all levels building their dreams on the platform. With this feature, anyone in the organization will be able to do the same! With Now Assist, users can describe the app they want to create, and it will guide them through the process, generating the necessary components and configurations. This democratizes app development, empowering non-developers to build functional and innovative applications tailored to their specific needs, thereby unlocking new levels of productivity and creativity across the organization.

While in fact this feature was available from the Washington release, Xanadu upgrade brings some relevant improvements making the best of it, such as the ability to improve existing apps.

Catalog Item Generation

It allows users to create dynamic catalog item forms by leveraging AI-powered descriptions. Users can input specific details and requirements for the catalog item, and Now Assist generates parts of the catalog item form accordingly.

This feature facilitates the process of building catalog items, ensuring accuracy and consistency while reducing the manual effort required. Users can review and edit anything generated by Now Assist to tailor it to their precise needs.

Fun Random Stuff From the ServiceNow Release

• Use Now Assist in Knowledge Management to generate knowledge base articles from multiple similar incidents, tasks, or HR cases, helping to address related concerns in a single article.
• Developers can enable ECMAScript 2021 (ES12) mode in individual scripts, allowing the use of the latest JavaScript features even in applications using ES5 Standards or Compatibility mode. Simply navigate to a script’s record and select "Turn on ECMAScript 2021 (ES12) mode" to write more efficient and powerful code, enhancing application performance and maintainability.
• The Xanadu release enhances mobile client scripting by allowing developers to autofill multiple inputs based on user entries and configure dynamic scripted messages for real-time guidance during form input. These features streamline data entry and improve the overall user experience on mobile forms.
• Starting with Xanadu, developers will be able to customize the mobile experience based on user criteria.
• With the Access Simulator, developers can simulate a user's access to ServiceNow resources by adding or removing roles/groups.
• Automatically generate replies to customer emails using Now Assist's email reply recommendation feature.

When can we experience all of this greatness?

This ServiceNow release is targeted for general availability by the end of Q3.

Final Notes

The session ended on a very emotional note with Chuck's farewell. He said a few words, with tearful eyes. I was very touched but glad to have the chance to meet Chuck, at least virtually.

This TechNow Edition was as great as they come, with the hosts doing live demos, which was something requested by the community for some time, as everyone wants to see those new features working!

The Xanadu Release Notes are now available at the documentation portal.

When your company is ready to upgrade its instance, make sure that you follow all of the ServiceNow recommendations and guidelines applicable.

And if that is not enough, contact us and we can discuss different approaches to make the best of your ServiceNow investment.

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